# 起頭
## Chinese
### Pronunciation

* Mandarin
    (Pinyin): qǐtóu
    (Zhuyin): ㄑㄧˇ ㄊㄡˊ
* Cantonese (Jyutping): hei$^2$ tau$^4$
* Hakka
    (Sixian, PFS): hí-thèu
    (Meixian, Guangdong): hi$^3$ têu$^2$
* Eastern Min (BUC): kī-tàu
* Southern Min
    (Hokkien, POJ): khí-thâu
    (Teochew, Peng'im): ki$^2$ tao$^5$
    (Leizhou, Leizhou Pinyin): ki$^2$ tao$^5$
* Wu (Shanghai, Wugniu): $^5$chi-deu
* Mandarin
** (Standard Chinese)
*** Hanyu Pinyin: qǐtóu
*** Zhuyin: ㄑㄧˇ ㄊㄡˊ
*** Tongyong Pinyin: cǐtóu
*** Wade–Giles: chʻi$^3$-tʻou$^2$
*** Yale: chǐ-tóu
*** Gwoyeu Romatzyh: chiitour
*** Palladius: цитоу (citou)
*** Sinological IPA : /t͡ɕʰi²¹⁴⁻²¹ tʰoʊ̯³⁵/
** (Standard Chinese, erhua-ed)
*** Hanyu Pinyin: qǐtóur
*** Zhuyin: ㄑㄧˇ ㄊㄡˊㄦ
*** Tongyong Pinyin: cǐtóur
*** Wade–Giles: chʻi$^3$-tʻou$^2$-ʼrh
*** Yale: chǐ-tóur
*** Gwoyeu Romatzyh: chiitourl
*** Palladius: цитоур (citour)
*** Sinological IPA : /t͡ɕʰi²¹⁴⁻²¹ tʰɤʊ̯ɻʷ³⁵/
* Cantonese
** (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
*** Jyutping: hei$^2$ tau$^4$
*** Yale: héi tàuh
*** Cantonese Pinyin: hei$^2$ tau$^4$
*** Guangdong Romanization: héi$^2$ teo$^4$
*** Sinological IPA : /hei̯³⁵ tʰɐu̯²¹/
* Hakka
** (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
*** Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: hí-thèu
*** Hakka Romanization System: hi$^ˋ$ teu$^ˇ$
*** Hagfa Pinyim: hi$^3$ teu$^2$
*** Sinological IPA: /hi³¹ tʰeu̯¹¹/
** (Meixian)
*** Guangdong: hi$^3$ têu$^2$
*** Sinological IPA: /hi³¹ tʰeu¹¹/
* Eastern Min
** (Fuzhou)
*** Bàng-uâ-cê: kī-tàu
*** Sinological IPA : /kʰi³³⁻²¹ $^{(tʰ-)}$lau⁵³/
* Southern Min
** (Hokkien)
*** Pe̍h-ōe-jī: khí-thâu
*** Tâi-lô: khí-thâu
*** Phofsit Daibuun: qy'taau
*** IPA (Xiamen): /kʰi⁵³⁻⁴⁴ tʰau²⁴/
*** IPA (Quanzhou): /kʰi⁵⁵⁴⁻²⁴ tʰau²⁴/
*** IPA (Zhangzhou): /kʰi⁵³⁻⁴⁴ tʰau¹³/
*** IPA (Taipei): /kʰi⁵³⁻⁴⁴ tʰau²⁴/
*** IPA (Kaohsiung): /kʰi⁴¹⁻⁴⁴ tʰau²³/
** (Teochew)
*** Peng'im: ki$^2$ tao$^5$
*** Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: khí thâu
*** Sinological IPA : /kʰi⁵²⁻³⁵ tʰau⁵⁵/
** (Leizhou)
*** Leizhou Pinyin: ki$^2$ tao$^5$
*** Sinological IPA: /kʰi³¹ tʰau²²/
* “beginning; to take the lead; to knit the beginning section”.

### Verb

起頭
* to take the lead; to show initiative; to be the first; to set an example
* to begin; to start; to commence
* (Leizhou Min) to knit the beginning section

#### Synonyms

* (to take the lead):
* 帶頭 / 带头 (dàitóu)
* 打頭陣 / 打头阵 (dǎ tóuzhèn)
* 拉頭纜 / 拉头缆 (laai$^1$ tau$^4$ laam$^6$) (Cantonese)
* 拍頭陣 / 拍头阵 (pah$^4$ tao$^5$ ding$^7$) (Teochew)
* 㧣頭陣 / 㧣头阵 (Hokkien)
* 擎頭 / 擎头 (Hakka)
* 牽頭 / 牵头 (qiāntóu)
* 率先 (shuàixiān)
* 領頭 / 领头 (lǐngtóu) (colloquial)
* (to begin):
* 伊始 (yīshǐ) (literary)
* 權輿 / 权舆 (quányú) (literary)
* 發端 / 发端 (fāduān)
* 發軔 / 发轫 (fārèn) (literary)
* 肇始 (zhàoshǐ) (literary)
* 肇端 (zhàoduān) (literary)
* 萌 (literary, or in compounds)
* 起始 (qǐshǐ)
* 起手 (Cantonese, Eastern Min)
* 開始 / 开始 (kāishǐ)
* 開首 / 开首 (kāishǒu) (Beijing Mandarin)

#### Derived terms

* 萬事起頭難 / 万事起头难 (wànshì qǐtóu nán)

### Noun

起頭
* beginning

#### Synonyms

* 伊始 (yīshǐ) (literary)
* 序幕 (xùmù) (figurative)
* 發端 / 发端 (fāduān)
* 肇端 (zhàoduān) (literary)
* 萌 (literary)
* 起始 (qǐshǐ)
* 起頭先 / 起头先 (kī-tàu-sĕng) (Eastern Min)
* 開始 / 开始 (kāishǐ)
* 開端 / 开端 (kāiduān)
* 開頭 / 开头 (kāitóu)
* 首端 (shǒuduān)

### Adverb

起頭
* in the beginning; at first; originally

#### Synonyms

* 一插手兒 / 一插手儿 (yīchāshǒur) (Beijing Mandarin)
* 一開始 / 一开始 (yīkāishǐ)
* 上頭仔 / 上头仔 (Hokkien)
* 乍出猛兒 / 乍出猛儿 (zhàchūměngr) (Beijing Mandarin)
* 先前 ($^1$shi-zhi) (Wu)
* 先起頭 / 先起头 (Wu)
* 先頭 / 先头 (Wu)
* 最初 (zuìchū)
* 初初 (co$^1$ co$^1$) (Cantonese, Hakka, Hokkien)
* 劈頭 / 劈头 (pītóu)
* 原 (yuán)
* 原來 / 原来 (yuánlái)
* 原先 (yuánxiān)
* 原初 (yuánchū)
* 原底 (Hokkien, chiefly Cantonese, Teochew, chiefly Cantonese)
* 原旦 (Hakka)
* 原本 (yuánběn)
* 原本榻裡 / 原本榻里 ($^6$gnioe-pen-thaq-li) (Wu)
* 在本 (Hokkien)
* 始初 (shǐchū) (literary)
* 寢頭 / 寝头 (Hokkien)
* 就跟兒 / 就跟儿 (jiùgēnr) (Beijing Mandarin)
* 早先 ($^5$tsau-shi) (Wu)
* 本來 / 本来 (běnlái)
* 本則來 / 本则来 ($^5$pen-tseq-le) (Wu)
* 本底 (Hokkien)
* 本底子 ($^5$pen-ti-tsy) (Wu)
* 本成 (Hokkien)
* 本然 (Hokkien)
* 本生 ($^5$pen-san) (Wu)
* 當初 / 当初 (dāngchū)
* 當初時 / 当初时 (Hokkien)
* 當原初 / 当原初 (Quanzhou Hokkien, Xiamen Hokkien)
* 自本 (Hokkien)
* 舊底 / 旧底 (Hokkien)
* 起先 (qǐxiān)
* 起初 (qǐchū)
* 起始 (qǐshǐ)
* 起手 (qǐshǒu)
* 起首 (qǐshǒu) (literary, or Guangzhou Cantonese)
* 開先 / 开先 (kai$^1$ sienn$^1$) (Xiang)
* 開初 / 开初 (kāichū)
* 頭仔 / 头仔 (Hokkien)
* 頭起先 / 头起先 (Hokkien)
* 頭頭 / 头头 (Cantonese, Eastern Min, Hokkien)